Strongest Scammer: Scamming The World, One Death At A Time-Chapter 712: Two More Months Of Travel

Two months passed in the Harrow Mountains, measured not by days but by the slow accumulation of scars, close calls, and the steady sharpening of Han Yu's instincts.

By the time he realized just how far he had traveled, he had already crossed to the other side of the mountain range and reached the outer edge of the Inner Ring on that side. In terms of distance, he was finally halfway to Harrow Edge Town.

Yet instead of relief, what greeted him was unease.

Han Yu came to a halt atop a jagged ridge, crouching low as icy wind swept past him. He did not stop because his body was tired. His Qi reserves were stable, his movements still crisp, and his soul cultivation allowed him to remain alert even after long stretches without proper rest.

He stopped because the land ahead of him was wrong. 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

The terrain before him was littered with massive ritual circles.

They were enormous, each spanning nearly three hundred meters in diameter, etched deep into stone, snow, and earth alike. Some were carved directly into the ground, their grooves filled with frozen blood and crushed bone.

Others were carved into mountain peaks and high ridges, visible even from a distance as grotesque sigils defiling the natural slopes. The circles on elevated ground were even more elaborate, layered with secondary inscriptions, twisted arrays, and corpse placements that formed complex patterns rather than simple sacrificial layouts.

Han Yu did not need to guess who was responsible.

Danqing Xun.

The work bore his mark unmistakably.

The scale alone confirmed it. No ordinary Evil Mountain Spirit could have orchestrated something like this across such a vast region. These ritual circles were old, several months at least, judging by the depth of snow layered between the carvings and the way blood had crystallized and fused with the stone itself. And yet, despite their age, the Qi lingering around them was still oppressive, thick with resentment and malice that refused to disperse.

Han Yu scanned several of the sites from afar, his expression growing darker with each one he examined.

This time, the composition of the sacrifices had changed.

Human corpses now made up nearly forty percent of the remains. Hunters, travelers, cultivators, and ordinary mortals were all mixed together, their bodies arranged with deliberate intent rather than chaotic slaughter.

Many were missing their blood entirely, their desiccated remains preserved by the cold. Others were mutilated in specific ways, limbs severed and placed at precise points along the ritual arrays.

But even that was not what truly shook Han Yu.

On one of the tallest mountain peaks, he saw something that made his breath catch.

A Frost Wing Wyvern.

Or rather, what was left of it.

Han Yu recognized it instantly. The size, the wing structure, the faint traces of Ice Qi still lingering in the bones. This was the same Nascent Soul realm Frost Wing Wyvern that had nearly killed him months ago. There was no doubt in his mind.

The once majestic beast had been utterly desecrated.

Its massive body had been flayed open, the thick scales peeled away with brutal precision. The ribs were spread apart like the bars of a grotesque cage, exposing the hollow cavity where its organs once resided.

Its wings had been torn open and pinned against the mountain peak, the long wing bones driven deep into stone like hooks, suspending the corpse in a macabre display. The skull had been stripped completely clean of flesh, and strange symbols were carved directly into the bone, each groove filled with dark residue that even the snow could not erase.

Han Yu felt a chill run down his spine that had nothing to do with the cold.

If Danqing Xun could do this to a Nascent Soul realm Frost Wing Wyvern, then Han Yu knew with terrifying clarity what his own fate would have been if Madam Cold Fang had not intervened. He would not have simply died. He would have been used.

The realization sat heavy in his chest as he pulled back, carefully retreating from the ridge and lowering his presence as much as possible. The ritual circles themselves were not an immediate obstacle. They were remnants of something already completed. The true danger lay in what they had caused.

The mountains were no longer calm.

Loud, distorted roars echoed across the region at irregular intervals. Han Yu could hear the frantic movements of beasts traveling far faster than they normally would, their Qi signatures erratic and aggressive. Packs that would normally avoid one another were clashing openly, driven into heightened states of agitation by the lingering influence of Danqing Xun's rituals.

The entire area had become a pressure cooker.

Han Yu adjusted his route immediately, abandoning the most direct path and choosing longer, more convoluted trails that skirted the edges of known beast territories. Even so, avoiding danger was far from easy.

At one point, he nearly collided with a Nascent Soul realm Frost Line Spirit Tiger.

The beast had just killed another creature and was resting beneath a snow laden cliff, its massive body radiating cold as it slept. Han Yu sensed it at the last possible moment. He did not hesitate. He dove straight into the snow, burying himself completely and sealing his Qi down to the faintest trickle.

He remained there for fifteen hours.

Fifteen hours of absolute stillness, his body numb from the cold, his mind locked in unwavering focus as he listened to the slow, heavy breathing of the tiger above him. He did not move even when snow seeped into his robes and frost crept along his skin. Only when the tiger finally stirred, stretched, and departed did Han Yu carefully dig himself free.

But the mountains did not grant him peace for long.

Not even a day later, he heard it.

The thunderous clash of massive bodies colliding.

Han Yu froze mid step, his heart sinking as he recognized the distinctive tremor carried through the ground. He knew that sound all too well.